Seung Han Myong is the master of his own dojo in Chili-San near the
Chii mountain in Korea. Han Myong was skilled in many forms of martial arts
and was highly respected by his pupils. He had two children, a daughter and
a son, but the son as well as his wife died of sickness. All that was left
to him was his daughter, Seung Mina. He loved
his daughter dearly and trained her in the ways of the sword, but he still
longed for a son. Seung Mina grew up strong, and became very skilled in the
ways of the sword. Her horsesword technique surpassed even her father's.
Han Myong was very proud of his daughter, but he feared for her safety and
hoped that she would remain at home.
Han Myong had many fine pupils at his dojo, but one distiguished
himself above all the rest. His name was Hwang Sung
Kyung, and his great skill and determination earned him a private lesson
with Han Myong. Han Myong was happy to have such a talented student. Hwang
had been orphaned many years ago, and Han Myong was seriously thinking of
adopting Hwang as his own son. Unfortunately, Hwang left the dojo to join
the Coastal Defense Force when a Japanese invasion was imminent. Han Myong
knew that someday Hwang would return and he could ask him then.
Hwang returned sooner than Han Myong had thought. He had been given
a special assignment to travel to the west and had stopped by the dojo to say
goodbye. Not wanting to burden Hwang with such an important matter, Han
Myong held off on asking Hwang to become his son. Instead, he offered his
most precious sword, Mountain Breaker, to Hwang for use on his journey.
Knowing that this was his master's favorite weapon, Hwang declined and chose
to rely on his own weapon during the quest. Han Myong watched as Hwang left,
not knowing that Mina had heard their conversation.
Like many young people, Mina had been gripped by the patriotic fervor
that had swept Korea during this time of impending war. She had tried to
join the Coastal Defense Force, but was rejected because she was a woman.
Having heard of Hwang's quest for the legendary Patriot Sword, she decided
that this would be the way that she could contribute to Korea's defense
effort. Han Myong caught her sneaking out of the house the next day, and
asked her where she was going. Unable to lie to her father, Mina told him
of her plans. Angered and worried for her safety, Han Myong berated Mina
and ordered her to stay home. Mina, though, had become a strong-willed girl
and pushed her father out of the way as she set out on her journey. Han
Myong could only stand and watch as his daughter set out to find the
Patriot Sword.
Not long after Mina left, Japan finally invaded Korea. Though Han
Myong was not directly involved in the defense effort, many of his pupils
left the dojo to join the Coastal Defense Force. Admiral Lee Sun Shin, the
leader of the Force and a friend of Han Myong's, commended Han Myong on the
skill of his students and their contribution to Korea's defense. Upon
hearing of the war,
Hwang abandoned his quest and returned home with Mina, whom he had found
along the way. Although relieved to see her, Han Myong realized that he had
to punish Mina for disobeying him and ordered her to begin a rigorous
training regimin. Han Myong thanked Hwang for delivering his daughter home
safely, and then finally asked him to become his son. Hwang considered his
masters' offer a great honor, but refused because he felt his loyalty had to
be to his country during this time of war. Although dissapointed, Han Myong
agreed with Hwang's decision and bid him farewell once again.
This did not mean that Han Myong had given up. Before too long, he
was planning a marriage between Hwang and Seung Mina. When Mina heard of
this, though, she grew angry at not having had a say in her own future.
Then, when the son of the Kim family proposed to Mina, she ran away from home
again. The grief-stricken Han Myong thought that maybe he had been to hard
on Mina, and realized that she was now a fully-grown young woman capable of
making her own decision. He also knew that her fighting technique was
superb, and hoped that she would be able to take care of herself.
The months turned into years and Mina never returned. Han Myong did
not know what had become of his daughter, and was releived when Hwang was
sent by Admiral Shin to find Mina. Finally, three years after she had left,
Mina returned with Hwang. Grateful to see his daughter after such a long
time, Han Myong embraced her and promised to treat her as an adult from now
on. |